MOSCOW, Idaho - Ahead of its first-ever trip to the MPSF Conference Championships, Idaho Swim and Dive concludes a memorable regular season that highlighted the program's continued rise in its first year competing outside the Western Athletic Conference.
The Vandals opened their season with a dominant performance against the College of Idaho, setting the tone for the months ahead. Maya Salvitti provided an early glimpse of her potential, securing her first top-10 mark of the year. Idaho hit the road the following week for a conference matchup in Greeley against Northern Colorado. The team delivered a strong showing, highlighted once again by Salvitti, who continued her impressive start with a third-place finish that moved her further up the program's all-time performance list.
Idaho's distance group faced conference competition early at the MPSF Open Water Championships in California. Defending champion Ginger Kiefer paced the Vandals, finishing 14th in a deep and competitive field with a time of 1:04:49.0. Returning to dual meet action, the Vandals delivered a strong performance at Seattle University, defeating the Redhawks 197-65.
The Vandals returned home for a pivotal three-meet stretch, opening with Northern Arizona, the 12-time reigning Western Athletic Conference champions. Idaho secured a 160.5–139.5 victory over the Lumberjacks, led by a record-breaking performance from Marie Mason, who set a new program mark in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:09.11 and securing her first career MPSF Athlete of the Week honors in the process. Salvitti continued her standout season as well, adding a top-five score in program history to her resume. UI continued its homestand with dual meets against Denver and Colorado State, with both competitions battling to the end. Ginger Kiefer delivered a standout performance against Colorado State, setting a new program record in the 100-yard IM with a time of 57.16.
Idaho Swim and Dive split into multiple groups in the following weeks, with the diving squad competing at USC's Trojan Diving Invitational while the swimmers traveled to Boise for the NW Collegiate Invite. Amelia Ward earned a top-10 finish in the 1-meter prelims with a score of 239.30 before delivering an even stronger performance in the finals, posting a 478.80. Salvitti joined the effort with a score of 445.35, securing a fifth-place finish overall. In Boise, the Vandals delivered a dominant showing, capturing the team title with 2,121.5 points, well ahead of runner-up Pepperdine (1,946).
Competing in Sarasota, Florida, Bethany Rahn represented the Vandals at the CSCAA Open Water Championships, finishing in the top half of a deeply competitive field with a time of 1:01:05.4. After nearly a month away from competition, Idaho's divers returned to California for the UCLA Diving Invitational. Salvitti turned in an impressive performance, placing eighth in a field of 41 while already securing her berth to the NCAA Zone E Championships.
Dual meet competition resumed in St. George, where Idaho earned a dominant 197–58 victory over Utah Tech. The Vandals were led by event wins from Ginger Kiefer, Kirsten Sautel, and Isabelle Borke, each capturing first place in their respective events. The win preceded another split in the schedule as Idaho prepared for its final meets of the season.
Idaho's swim team traveled to Pullman before quickly returning home to host its annual Senior Night, while the diving squad competed at the NAU Diving Invitational. The Vandals honored seniors Madelynn Butler, Cadence Gabel, Ginger Kiefer, Avery Keinonen, Amelia Perkins, Grace Ruble, and Bethany Rahn, along with diver Maya Salvitti, recognizing their lasting contributions to the program.
In Pullman, Kiefer led the Vandals placing third overall in Individual Rankings and a first place finish in the 100 Y IM, leading her to winning MPSF Female Athlete of the week. When the Vandals returned home, Marie Mason broke her previous school record in the 1000 Y Freestyle with a time of 10:08.85 in a hard-fought senior night battle. Idaho's divers opened the weekend at the NAU Diving Invitational. Salvitti led the charge, finishing fourth overall on platform with a score of 485.20 and placing seventh on the 3M dive at 529.70. Amelia Ward posted 463.10 in the 1M dive, finishing 16th, followed closely by Lauren Wierschke with 433.10.
With a regular season defined by record-breaking performances and dominant victories Idaho Swim and Dive now turns its focus toward the MPSF Conference Championships. Carrying momentum into the postseason, the Vandals look to make a strong statement as they prepare to compete against the conference's top programs.
CONFERENCE HONORS
All in all, Idaho finished the season with three athletes securing Athlete of the Week awards from the MPSF in the program's first year in the league. Kelly Mejorada took home the nomination after a record breaking 1M performance in her first collegiate meet. Mason secured the accolade after rewriting the record books in the 1,000 Y Freestyle, and Kiefer added another weekly award to her outstanding career total for dominant outings in the two-day dual with Washington State. For Mejorada and Mason, the conference nods were the first of their careers.
UP NEXT
The Vandals will head to Pharr, Texas, to compete in their first-ever MPSF Conference Championship Meet, aiming to earn berths to the NCAA Diving Zones E Championships and the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
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